2025 Drama League Nominations

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:19am

https://www.theatermania.com/news/drama-league-announces-2025-award-nominees_1771269/

Outstanding Production of a Play
The Antiquities
Becoming Eve
English
Good Bones
Good Night, and Good Luck
Here There are Blueberries
John Proctor Is the Villain
Liberation
Oh, Mary!
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Purpose
Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Walden

Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Cherry Orchard
Eureka Day
Ghosts
Glengarry Glen Ross
Home
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
A Streetcar Named Desire
Vanya
Wine in the Wilderness
Yellow Face

Outstanding Production of a Musical
Boop! The Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Drag: The Musical
Just in Time
Macbeth in Stride
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Real Women Have Curves
Smash
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
The Last Five Years
Once Upon a Mattress
The Marriage of Figaro
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Sunset Blvd.
Urinetown

Outstanding Director of a Play
Knud Adams
English, Roundabout Theatre Company/Todd Haimes Theatre

Saheem Ali
Good Bones, The Public Theater

David Cromer
Good Night, And Good Luck, Winter Garden Theatre

Sam Pinkleton
Oh, Mary!, Lyceum Theatre

Tyne Rafaeli
Becoming Eve, New York Theatre Workshop

Anna D. Shapiro
Eureka Day, Manhattan Theatre Club/Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Danya Taymor
John Proctor is The Villain, Booth Theatre

Whitney White
Liberation, Roundabout Theatre Company/Laura Pels Theatre

Kip Williams
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Music Box Theatre

Sam Yates
Vanya, Lucille Lortel Theatre

Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden
Maybe Happy Ending, Belasco Theatre

Saheem Ali
Buena Vista Social Club, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

Christopher Gattelli
Death Becomes Her, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Robert Hastie
Operation Mincemeat, John Golden Theatre

Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch
Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Perelman Arts Center

Jamie Lloyd
Sunset Blvd., St. James Theatre

Jerry Mitchell
Boop! The Musical, Shubert Theatre

Susan Stroman
Smash, Imperial Theatre

Alex Timbers
Just In Time, Circle In The Square Theatre

Annie Tippe
Three Houses, Signature Theatre Company

Sergio Trujillo
Real Women Have Curves, James Earl Jones Theatre

George C. Wolfe
Gypsy, Majestic Theatre

Distinguished Performance
Tala Ashe, English
Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash
Stori Ayers, Home
Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Kit Connor, Romeo and Juliet
Tatianna Córdoba, Real Women Have Curves
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Kieran Culkin, Glengarry Glen Ross
André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Tommy Dorfman, Becoming Eve
Robert Downey Jr., McNeal
Adam Driver, Hold On To Me Darling
Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
Amber Gray, Eureka Day
David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Jonathan Groff, Just In Time
Jake Gyllenhaal, Othello
Ryan J. Haddad, Hold Me In The Water
Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
Robyn Hurder, Smash
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Nick Jonas, The Last Five Years
Ramin Karimloo, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Gracie Lawrence, Just In Time
Beth Leavel, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Idina Menzel, Redwood
Paul Mescal, A Streetcar Named Desire
Jinkx Monsoon, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Marjan Neshat, English
Sandra Oh, The Welkin
Lily Rabe, Ghosts
Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical
Lea Salonga, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Andrew Scott, Vanya
Helen J Shen, Maybe Happy Ending
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Ephraim Sykes, Our Town
Alaska Thunder****, Drag: The Musical
Adrienne Warren, The Last Five Years
Denzel Washington, Othello
Joy Woods, Gypsy
Kara Young, Purpose and Table 17

Previous Distinguished Performance Award Winners
Annaleigh Ashford, All In (won in 2023 for Sweeney Todd…)
Danny Burstein, Gypsy (won in 2020 for Moulin Rouge!)
Norbert Leo Butz, Vladimir (won in 2005 for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)
Sutton Foster, Once Upon A Mattress (won in 2022 for The Music Man)
Neil Patrick Harris, SH*T. Meet. Fan. (won in 2014 for Hedwig…)
Patti LuPone, The Roommate (won in 2007 for Gypsy)
Audra McDonald, Gypsy (won in 2012 for Porgy and Bess)
Lin-Manuel Miranda, All In (won in 2016 for Hamilton)
Bernadette Peters, Stephen Sondheim: Old Friends (won in 1986 for Song and Dance)

Special Recognitions
Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater – Lea Salonga
Founders Award for Excellence in Directing – Whitney White
Contribution to the Theater – Kate Navin and Audible Theater
Gratitude Award – Bob Greenblatt and Neil Meron

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 11:19 AM

[theblackumbrella]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:21am

Cole Escola for Distinguished Performance

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 11:21 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:22am

So Andrew DeShields wins for years of performance ?

[getatme]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:23am

Nominating Nick Jonas but not Jeremy Jordan? Deeply unserious.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:26am

These always cast such a wide net that they're basically meaningless, especially when someone like Jeremy Jordan is somehow excluded even in such a long and inclusive list.

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 11:26 AM

[kidmanboy]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:27am

My vote would be for Nicole Scherzinger.

[DaveyG]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:28am

As usual, a total mess. 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:28am

I have a gut feeling Andrew Scott is going to take it. (Deservedly, IMO.)

But they do love rewarding a theater stalwart as a career recognition…

Side note: As silly as it is that Jeremy Jordan is snubbed, I have to admit I’m really happy to see TWO Drag Race girls on the list. How amazing for them!

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 11:28 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:35am

It really just looks like everything got nominated this year and so everything seems deeply unserious.

I only care about Distinguished Performance so:

- THRILLED for Jak Malone

- THRILLED for Andre de Shields 

- THRILLED for Jinkx Monsoon

- THRILLED FOR KARA YOUNG!

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:36am

Side Note: I thought Dead Outlaw, BVSC, and Oh Mary were eligible last year when they were all off-Broadway

[Kad]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 11:37am

Annual reminder that nearly all of these smaller awards are wacky af- they each have their own idiosyncratic rules and they usually have extremely small nominating/voting bodies that may not represent any industry consensus or feelings.

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 12:16pm

Nicole or Cole

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 12:27pm

quizking101 said: "It really just looks like everything got nominated this year and so everything seems deeply unserious.

I only care about Distinguished Performance so:

- THRILLED for Jak Malone

- THRILLED for Andre de Shields

- THRILLED for Jinkx Monsoon

- THRILLED FOR KARA YOUNG!"

 

While it's nice that you are THRILLED for them, I can pretty much guarantee you that most of the nominees are feeling less "THRILLED" and more "ANNOYED" that now they have to spend half a day at a 4+ hour luncheon, even though they have a very slim chance of winning (given the # of nominees).

[Kad]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 12:31pm

Leave it to JSquared2 to reliably bring a miserable pov to every discussion.

[merle57]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 12:45pm

Shocking Omission of Francis Jue from Distinguished Performances, especially after the rave reviews he received from the critics. Also, surprised Daniel Day Kim did not receive a nomination as well. 

Perhaps the PBS broadcast will make a case for both actors to receive proper recognition. 

Also surprised Jeremy Jordan was snubbed.  

Disappointed Boop and Smash made the list since the writing in both shows is inferior to the other nominees. 

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 12:49pm

Am I crazy or is Sadie Sink not nominated? That’s very surprising to me.

 

Cole seems like the obvious choice for Distinguished Performance. 

[Markie27]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 1:09pm

BroadwayGirl107 said: "Am I crazy or is Sadie Sink not nominated? That’s very surprising to me.



Cole seems like the obvious choice for Distinguished Performance."

They’re giving it recently to established performers whose work in their winning year was sub par (Sutton in Music Man and Annaleigh in Sweeney) so I wouldn’t be surprised if they give it to Idina Menzel for Redwood, or Denzel Washington for Othello.  (Although they corrected that last year by giving it to Paulsons magnificent performance in Appropriate so who knows).

My money is on Jake Gyllenhaal performance wise or Andre de Shields for legendary body of work.  (I know Denzel deserves it but sorry I am just not a fan of his).  The best performance for me though is Jak Malone for his stirring Dear Bill but I know they won’t give this to a featured performance. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 1:34pm

JSquared2 said: "quizking101 said: "It really just looks like everything got nominated this year and so everything seems deeply unserious.

I only care about Distinguished Performance so:

- THRILLED for Jak Malone

- THRILLED for Andre de Shields

- THRILLED for Jinkx Monsoon

- THRILLED FOR KARA YOUNG!"



While it's nice that you are THRILLED for them, I can pretty much guarantee you that most of the nominees are feeling less "THRILLED" and more "ANNOYED" that now they have to spend half a day at a 4+ hour luncheon, even though they have a very slim chance of winning (given the # of nominees)."

Wow. What a miserable take. 

P.S - I don’t think Jinkx is too pressed about it

https://x.com/jinkxmonsoon/status/1914705330941940165?s=46&t=0XG46rJiPEOy8dyIeDsimg

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 1:48pm

Malone and the entire Operation Mincemeat cast seem to be making the most of their Broadway experience and enjoying all the other shows and Broadway-adjacent events. I would guess he's perfectly happy to go too.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 5:22pm

Jeremy Jordan just got some of the best reviews of his career for ''Floyd Collins,'' and on the same day, he's overlooked by the Drama League, even though the League nominated ''Floyd Collins'' for Best Musical Revival. That's insane. 

Oh, well. The League does it wants. Last year, they nominated Cole Escola for ''Oh, Mary!'' and Conrad Ricamora for ''Oh, Mary!' & ''Here Lies Love.'' This year, they nominated Cole again, but not Conrad for ''Oh, Mary!'' Go figure! Speaking of Asian-Americans, I agree that Daniel Dae Kim and Francis Jue should've made the list for ''Yellow Face.'' 

I also would've almost nominated Joshua Harmon's ''We Had a World,''  along with the Distinguished Performances of Joanna Gleason and Andrew Barth Feldman. 

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 05:22 PM

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 5:34pm

Kad said: "Leave it to JSquared2 to reliably bring a miserable pov to every discussion."

Leave it to you to reliably spew your snarky, scolding “superiority” all over this board, Professor. 

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 05:34 PM

[hyangsoo]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 6:39pm

Urinetown got on this list over Ragtime? 😳

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 6:48pm

Shocked to see Hills of California snubbed entirely, both between the play itself and its acclaimed performances.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 7:20pm

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "I have a gut feeling Andrew Scott is going to take it. (Deservedly, IMO.)"

Is it still true that only the nominators are comped, not the (much much larger) voting body? Because if so, that means a bunch of the voters won't have seen Scott's performance and some of the other high-cost, limited-inventory productions. 

Cole and Nicole feel like safe bets, but a lot of the choices have been baffling of late so who knows.

As always, this is a participation trophy bestowed by a body of pay-to-play people on the fringes of the American theatre, and the DL Awards luncheon is the organization's primary fundraiser each year (where they want shows and organizations to buy tables).

[Jarethan]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 7:38pm

I always think these nominations are crazy.  With so many nominations (did any critic like George C. Wolfe's direction of Gypsy???), to completely ignore The Hills of California and particularly Laura Donnelly's performance, is absurd.  HEr command of the stage reminded me of the great actresses of several decades ago, who just commanded your attention, even in drivel.  I am thinking of Irene Worth and Zoe Caldwell and Colleen Dewhurst and Uta Hagen.  If she appeared here more frequently, she'd fit comfortably in that group.  And she doesn't even get nominated when Nick Jonas does??  I have not even seen his show, but I have read enough reviews and opinions on this board to be flummoxed.